Do you call Japanese people by their first name or last name?

[Midori Shimada VT]

The title says it all, since back in the day during the City Pop and the Bubble Economy era, Westerners call Japanese people by their first name, but now it's changed as soon as the popularity of anime and VTubers boomed, it somehow now disrespectful to call Japanese people by their first name unless the person is in close relationship or adding honorifics. So, do you call them by their first or last name? This came to mind after I saw posts online that involve Japanese people, and written by their last name first

 

[PhaseJump]

Why would I talk to Japanese people?

 

[What's His Face]

If in a Western country, they get the first name treatment.

 

[fmsynthetic]

If you associate with someone outside of work or school, it's probably fine. In any kind of professional/educational setting, it's too familiar to use given names and you should stick with surnames.

Post automatically merged: Today at 1:39 AM

If in a Western country, they get the first name treatment.

I agree with this as well.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

Whichever is easier to remember.

 

[CG4R12I4N]

Fuck the East Asian sensibilities. If they're outside their own country they should be able to accept that people will call them by their given names.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I call them what they choose to call themselves.

 

[Stingy Perry Stingy Perry]

There’s an old saying goes;

When Rome do what the Romans do

In other words you should address them the way they address themselves

 

[Cardboardtubeknight Cardboardtubeknight]

Doesn't hurt to ask first

 

[bjork]

Doesn't hurt to ask first

This, basically. There's no reason to be rude to them whether intentional or not.

 

[jon2]

I call them what they choose to call themselves.

So watashi, boku or ore (NGL, met an old Jp man using this IRL)?

Frankly, for the Japanese, unless you're part of their personal "circle", everyone else is treated as a "business"-like contact, and with their cultural emphasis with courtesy and the like (remember, they had a history of killing each other), being more formal and polite than normal (in Western sensibilities) is being "safe"

Using their first name means being close for them to include your in their circle of friends. They will be the ones to allow you to call them by their first names, not the other way around, and they will say so (at least in my case)

Of course, males will often call females with their first names, but all 12 daughters of expats and their tourist friends all concurred when they confided with me that they label those kind of guys as creeps, especially if they're old. Some (a few expat daughters exposed to my country's culture and personally closer to me than their tourist friends) also confided that the only exceptions were hot guys and old male classmates...

 

[DunkeyKong]

I will call them Onii Chan

 

[Ferik]

Last name until close friends I understand, and generally I'll go with whatever they introduce themselves as.

The one that confuses me about Japanese names is that they have informal honorifics. That's just such an odd concept. -kun, -chan, and -tan are just such strange things to add to a name from a foreign perspective. Why would you emphasize honoring someone during casual conversation, and why would that same form of honorific suddenly be rude in a professional context?

 

[Johnathan Smikey Johnathan Smikey]

Shit I didn't think about that...

I mean, there are some people whose last name is mainly referred (Shigeru Miyamoto, Masahiro Sakurai, Hideo Kojima)

But I have also heard vice-versa.

I assume it really just doesn't matter, but it is preferred that the last name is said instead of the first. Maybe. I dunno, I literally live in the Mid-west of the United States, so I really have no say in Japanese culture.

 

[SliperyHippo]

If in a Western country, they get the first name treatment.

Actually! In America we also use last names to address people unless we are close to them- as a sign of respect. We even use these "honorifics" in front of their names that mean different things- for instance, if you're talking to a married woman you would say Mrs. LastName, a doctor- or someone with higher education- Dr. LastName, an unmarried woman or if you just aren't sure of the marital status you would say Ms. LastName. It's a lot to keep track of, especially since name additions don't just occur before the name like Mr. LastName Jr where we use Jr to honor their family.

 

[TinRattler]

Dunno never met a jap

 

[Poppet]

Just ask them. I've only met exchange students, but they usually adopted a common name from here and asked people to call them that- often to avoid mispronunciations and such.

 

[qw90700]

It really doesn't matter if you are non-Japanese, Chinese or American and whom you addressing to from any country. In grown up life you don't use firstnames of random people, you use Mr/Ms and whatever + surname, "ma'am", "sir", et cetera. If you don't know their surname you go learn it. This is not really different for Japanese people and the rest of the world. When it comes to Japanese people naturally they wouldn't expect random non-Japanese people to even know "San" stuff but at least they would care for you to use "Mr/Ms" or something. In the world first names usage is not taken lightly especially without honorifics. When you are a kid people may ignore your ignorance but when you are adult they won't. At most they will stop talking to you, ignore you dying or they will shoot you lolol. Instead of "westerners" the question had to ask Americans specifically and then their culture is too different compared to the rest of the world that only students between teachers, people in law and medical field uses "Mr/Mrs and whatever + surname" in America lolol yet recently they are too "firstname basis". Watching American movies and some little kid addressing an old man with their first name will always cringe the shit out of me. America is too weird yo.

 

[Lod 10]

SeIf I were to meet a Japanese person I would say their name because I don't know the person completely.

 

[JoueurCitoyen]

I just call them how they introduced themselves in the first place. And where I live, adressing to people with their last names, without adding "Mrs." or "Mr.", is very rude

 

[Lod 10]

Eu os chamo simplesmente como eles se apresentaram inicialmente. E onde eu moro, dirigir-se às pessoas pelos sobrenomes, sem acrescentar "Sra." ou "Sr.", é muito rude.

EIt's a pleasure to meet you, my name is lod, we already meet a lot here on the forum, have a great day

 

[χKai]

Yes.

 

[Lod 10]

Sim.

SYes what

 

[Scotty]

Whichever is easier for me to remember.